Over the Rhine in the Rex; Kwesi K Comes to Club Café (CPs Thu., 4/03/2014)

1) Like Boston and Chicago before it, Over the Rhine is a band named for the place where it was formed. But instead of claiming a whole city as their namesake, the Cincinnati-based duo went with the specific Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, known for its well-preserved 19th-century houses. Like its namesake, Over the Rhine presents something timeless and classy: emotive acoustic rock songs. The husband-and-wife team of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist have been at it for a while, releasing a stream of folk-rock albums since 1991. Their best work has an emotionally fragile, almost ghostlike quality. Catch them at the Rex Theater tonight to hear why they have an audience far beyond the old neighborhood. 8 p.m. 1602 E. Carson St., South Side.

2) Kwesi K has a complicated background. Ghanian by birth, he was raised in Alaska and then Ohio and is now based in Philadelphia. He seems to have absorbed some interesting aspects of several American traditions, and, as a result, his musical persona is multifaceted: He strums like a folk-rocker, croons like a soul singer, and dresses like a roaming troubadour with his denim and work shirts. He has a debut EP out and is touring extensively. See him at Club Café today. Opening are Gene Stovall and Circles & Squares. 8 p.m. 56 S 12th St., South Side.

3) Andy’s Wine Bar, the swank lounge inside the Fairmont Pittsburgh, hosts  live musicians Wednesdays through Saturdays. Filling the place tonight will be the soft sounds of the city’s own Tania Grubbs. 7:30 p.m. 510 Market St., Downtown.

4) In the quirky 3D art of Toby Atticus Fraley, robots live quaint lives of ’50s-style domestic banality. Far from scheming to destroy their human masters, these robots are harmless, with their most egregious behavior being eavesdropping on their mechanical children. Fraley’s exhibit, The Secret Life of Robots, puts an array of cartoonish androids—made from vintage thermoses, picnic coolers, and other found objects—into a series of retro scenes in which they use rotary phones, watch antenna TVs, and listen to record players. The installations, on view at the gallery known as SPACE until April 27, recreate “Leave It to Beaver”-esque family life to fun and humorous effect. Resistance to their cuteness is futile. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 812 Liberty Ave., Cultural District.

5) Today at PNC Park, the Pirates play the final game in a three-game series against the Cubs. 12:35 p.m. 115 Federal St., North Shore.

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